


A Perfect Match: Miraculous One Shot #2

by QweenBeen



Series: Heads and Hearts: Tales of the Miraculous Ladybug & Chat Noir [3]
Category: Adrien Agreste - Fandom, Chat Noir - Fandom, Marinette Dupain-Cheng - Fandom, Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: F/M, Fashion & Couture, First Dance, Frustration, Jealousy, Teen Angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-14
Updated: 2017-02-14
Packaged: 2018-09-24 06:23:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,283
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9707642
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/QweenBeen/pseuds/QweenBeen
Summary: One Shot #2 of my Heads and Hearts Series for your reading pleasure.Please check out The FANGIRL and Game On for any of this to make sense ^_^http://archiveofourown.org/works/9205061/chapters/20882441http://archiveofourown.org/works/9652406Thank yooooou!





	

**Author's Note:**

> I wonder how cutsey I can get...

"Girl, you better get all over this shit pronto. I can already see Chloe drooling."

Marinette looked up from the flyer on the desk in front of her. Her eyes had been glued to it for the last few minutes, but not really seeing all the stars and sparkles that festooned it. Her cheeks lay smooshed between her palms to give her a distinctly fishy expression.

Her eyes flicked back and forth between Chloe's smirk to the back of Adrien's beautiful blonde head in front of her.

Marinette groaned, sliding her face between her palms to land squarely on the flyer. "What shit would that be, Alya?" she mumbled into the desk. “The part where I invite him to watch me trip and fall on my face? Ooo, maybe I should just throw myself at him?”

She thrust a thumbs up straight at Alya's face, her face still buried on the desk to spare herself her best friend's scowl. “All over it.”

Alya sighed and rolled her eyes, but Marinette didn't care. She unstuck her face from the flyer to look at it again.

_‘Welcome New 11th Grade Class! Masquerade Gala Hosted by the Mayor at the Grande Parisian Hotel.’_

She was sure Chloe had put the bug in her dad's ear to have this little _gala_. None of the other classes were having a welcome celebration. And she was equally sure that Chloe had done it with one goal in mind.

“You can't be that bad at dancing, right?” Alya asked uncertainly.

“Alya, I'm that bad at _walking_. Why would you think I'd be better at dancing?”

The date was two weeks away and she was dateless. Alya and Nino were of course going together, so it was easy for Alya to be all chill about it.

It was nice that the past few months had seen a _huge_ improvement in Marinette and Adrien's friendship. Marinette stammered less, kept the drool in her mouth, and they actually hung out without Alya and Nino every once in a while.

But they were friends, and if she asked Adrien to the dance, he'd become suspicious that she wanted to be _more_ than friends. As soon as he figured that out, he'd start acting all weird around her, it would become a total nightmare to see him, they'd lose the friendship that they _had_ , and then she'd have to crawl into a hole and disappear until graduation!

She really couldn't handle that kind of rejection.

With her luck, Chloe had asked Adrien before these flyers even went out, and none of this mattered anyway.

“Look, I'll bet anything he doesn't want to go with Chloe. She's a heinous nightmare,” Alya reminded her encouragingly. “You just have to get in there before she does because he's too nice to say no.”

Marinette sighed half heartedly, half tuning Alya out. “So you think he'll say yeah, huh?” Her cheek rested lazily in his cupped hand, and she idly wondered if she could go back to the tenth grade....

Alya winked and Marinette watched on in confusion as she crumpled up a piece of paper. “Only one way to find out.”

Before Marinette knew what was happening, Alya flung the paper ball straight at the back of Adrien's head. Marinette squeaked and made to duck under the desk as he slowly turned to face them, the question in his eyes.

“Marinette has a question for you,”Alya whispered, thumbing to her with a wink. His great big green eyes turned to her and her brain just stopped. Like emergency brake, red light, put your hands up, _stopped_.

“Oh...um, hi Adrien!” The flyer in her hands twisted and turned as she forced herself to smile.

“Hey, Marinette. What's up?”

“I wuz uh, you know...wonderin' if uh...you could dance? Would dance! No, would gala-? Ugh, me! Gala! Would you-?!”

Marinette held the flyer up in front of her face. She desperately needed to break eye contact, and he needed to hurry up and say no so she could melt into embarrassed goop onto the floor.

“Are you asking me to the masquerade, Marinette?” He pulled down the flyer clutched in her hands and smiled at her. “Yeah, that sounds great.”

“What? Really!?” she squeaked, blinking hard and making sure his lips were actually moving. She'd pinch herself right then and there if she could.

“Yeah, it'd be really fun.” He grinned and turned to Alya, poking his best friend next to him. “How about Nino and I pick both of you ladies up together?”

Alya quirked an eyebrow, smirking at Marinette with a meaningful glance, and nodded. “Sounds like a plan.”

“Awesome, ladies. We'll party it up!” Nino said happily as he and Adrien turned around for the start of class.

“Girl, close your mouth,” Alya whispered fiercely.

Marinette stared at the back of Adrien's head for a long moment before she picked her jaw up from the table. “Did that just actually happen, Alya?” she whispered.

“That actually just happened,” Alya confirmed, sounding just as stunned as Marinette felt. “Looks like you got yourself a hot date.”

A hot date? A hot date with Adrien? Adrien was her date! And she had nothing to wear! And she couldn't dance to save her life!

Marinette groaned quietly as she face planted into the desk again, finding little solace in the gentle friendly pats Alya lended her.

* * *

“Ew, what are you saying Adrien?!”

“Sorry, Chloe. Marinette asked me before class started.” Adrien readjusted his messenger bag as they made their way through the crowded school foyer.

“That is utterly ridiculous! You don't want to go with _Marinette_! She's so...so blah!” Chloe stomped her foot and crossed her arms indignantly, glowering at Adrien. “My _daddy_ is the one throwing the gala. Someone of your esteemed caliber should be coming with _me._ ”

Adrien stopped and turned to her, totally used to Chloe flavored tantrums at this point. He knew this would happen, and if he was being totally honest, he was really glad this was the conversation they were having instead of his saying yes. “Chloe, I'm no one of caliber. I'm just me. And I'll see you there, it's no big deal....”

“No big deal? No. Big. _Deal?_ It's totally a big deal!” Chloe spun on her heel and marched away, Sabrina stomping her foot angrily on her behalf before scurrying after her. “Someone is totally going to regret this! It is utterly ridiculous!”

“Did I hear right?” Lila said quietly, as she came up behind him. “You're going with Marinette?”

“Hey, Lila.” She always managed to sneak up on him, like she still had those invisible Fangirl powers. “Yeah, she just asked me.”

Lila looked down at her feet and frowned. “Well, that's too bad.” She raised hooded eyes up at him, her lashes long as she fluttered them. Her hand came up to gently brush his shoulder. “I guess we can't all be lucky enough to sit behind you in class, right?”

Adrien blushed and shrugged. “I guess? But it's cool, Lila. I'll see you there, right?”

Lila beamed a glowing smile at him and nodded. “You totally will.”

Before he knew it, he heard himself say, “Marinette and I are just going as friends.”

Lila took one his hands in hers and winked coyly. “I can ask Marinette if I can borrow you for a dance then?”

“I'm sure she'd be cool with that. Marinette's pretty chill.”

A momentary cloud passed over Lila's expression, but it happened so fast that Adrien figured he'd imagined it.

“I know, she's pretty _awesome_.” Lila bent forward and quickly kissed his cheek. “See you there!”

His face felt warm where she'd planted her kiss, and Adrien felt an anxious lump rise in his throat as he watched her saunter away.

* * *

“I still can't believe he said yes!”

Marinette stuck her tongue out at Alya and frowned. “Wow, great vote of confidence, Alya,” Marinette muttered.

It was the end of the school day, and Alya was reclining casually on her chaise while Marinette spun idly in her chair and stared blankly at her ceiling. Her mind was in a blurry haze of _not-quite-reality_ reality. In truth, she still couldn't believe he'd said yes either.

“Oh, girl, don't be so dramatic. The hard part is over. Now you just have to,” Alya paused for a moment as she lifted her fingers to start ticking things off, “design your dress, make your dress, figure out your hair--.”

“Whats wrong with my hair?” Marinette exclaimed indignantly, pulling at her twin tails protectively. She loved these things.…

Alya arched an eyebrow and smirked. “They're the cutest things ever, Marinette. But you don't want to be _cute_! You want Adrien's jaw to _drop_!”

Marinette felt her face go slack. “I do?” she asked meekly.

Apparently the question was all the encouragement Alya needed, because she leapt up off the chaise excitedly. “Yes!” she exclaimed. “You want him to drool, slobber, act the same way you do when you see him!”

“Ugh, _that'll_ never happen. He's too cool, too suave, too...too _Adrien_.” She sighed and threw her head back again, continuing her aimless twirl in her chair.

Alya grabbed her chair in mid twirl and came nose to nose with her hopeless best friend. “Aren't you an aspiring fashion designer? This is your chance! You can do whatever you want! Whatever you imagine!” Alya lifted her fists up in the air and dramatically declared, “You have the _power_!”

Marinette's eyes widened, pretty sure Alya had finally gone over the deep end, but she couldn't hold back a laugh as Alya grinned at her from ear to ear.

“Okay, okay,” Marinette conceded as she rolled to her desk and her sketchbook. “Something amazing, huh?”

Alya peered over her shoulder even before she'd set pencil to paper. “No, jaw _dropping_ ,” she corrected.

Marinette tapped her eraser to her lip, mulling over the hundreds of designs she'd always wanted to try but didn't really have the time or occasion for. “Think Adrien would be cool if we matched?” she ventured.

Alya beamed happily. “ _That_ would be awesome. As long as you don't make him wear a pink suit….”

Marinette giggled and bent over the page, already feeling her creative juices flowing. She could do this. This was her _thing_. “No, I was thinking more subtle than that.”

* * *

Adrien reviewed her drawing before the start of class and smiled up at her. “I think this'll be awesome, Marinette.”

Her drawing had the two of them in black and pink, but his suit was decidedly more black. A simple tie and pocket square were his only pink accents, but she'd picked such a unique shade there was no mistaking it would match her dress.

A little drawing of Marinette stood beside him with a black crop top bodice decorated in intricate swirls and twirls as they cascaded like a waterfall into the long pink skirt below.

He wasn't a designer, by any means. He didn't have the same eye his father did, but he could appreciate a beautiful piece of artwork when he saw it. “You know, your dress looks like it's going to be a handful to make. I could always ask my father to have this suit tailored. So you don't have to worry about it.”

Marinette gasped and grinned in that silly way he had gotten used to. “That would be _amazing_. Are you going to show your dad? Do you think he'll like it?”

It had slipped his mind what a big fan Marinette was of his dad and gave her a reassuring smile. “Absolutely! He knows good design when he sees it.”

He blushed at the way Marinette's big blue eyes positively gleamed at him. “Thank yooooou,” she sang happily as their new teacher walked in.

Adrien had never known his dad to look at anyone's designs except his own, but this wasn't for a catwalk during Fashion Week. This was just a high school dance. Surely his dad would indulge a teenage girl with big dreams?

* * *

“Maybe she won't notice, dude.”

Nino was sitting in the car beside him, looking his suit up and down with a frown.

“ _You_ noticed, Nino." Adrien grumbled, looking down at it morosely. It was the first thing out of your mouth.”

He adjusted the emerald green tie around his neck, it's color choking him as he thought about Marinette's drawing. His father had totally tricked him. _Absolutely, Adrien, this is quite the creative design...._ Blah blah blah. It was all bullshit and now Adrien felt like a total ass.

He'd told Nino repeatedly over the past two weeks that this gala was more for the girls than for them. He'd seen enough movies and TV shows to know that girls went gaga for these things, and Nino needed to do whatever Alya wanted. Now, after all that, he was stuck wearing _this._

His protests hadn't amounted to anything either, when Nathalie had paraded in with the green and dark gray ensemble. It was too late to change anything, she'd insisted, so instead of black and pink, his outfit had gone rogue.

“I'm weird like that, man,” Nino said with a shrug. “And the fact that Marinette couldn't stop talking about your..erm…black and pink outfits....”

Adrien groaned and looked out of his window to see they were nearing the Dupain-Cheng bakery.

The Gorilla pulled them up to the door and Adrien and Nino stepped out. The two boys made their way quickly up the stairs and Mr. Dupain ushered them inside with a big warm grin.

“Boys! Mighty handsome tonight, aren't we?” he bellowed cheerfully. Adrien suspected it was his way of announcing their arrival to the girls up in Marinette's room.

“Thanks, Mr. Dupain.” Adrien looked up at the hatch door above the stairs when he heard a squeak, loud clattering, and laughter. It sounded like Mrs. Cheng was up there too.

Tom glanced up the stairs with a smirk and shrugged. “I think they're just about ready. Can I get you boys something to drink while you wait?”

“Sure,” Nino said while he uncomfortably readjusted his own navy suit and copper toned tie. Adrien was pretty sure he'd never worn a tie before, so he'd told Nino to pretend they were a pair of headphones.

“You don't happen to have pie, do you?” Adrien asked bashfully, shoving his hands in his pockets when Tom grinned broadly.

“Salmon and spinach, wasn't it? Funny you should ask....”

Tom busied himself in the little kitchen for a moment and both Nino and Adrien soon settled down for a quick snack, the warm pie amazingly delicious. It was another ten minutes before the hatch above the stairs finally opened.

“We're ready!” Mrs. Cheng sing songed as she made her way down the steps. “Oh, don't you boys just look _dashing_!” Adrien didn't miss her double take when she saw him, and her little frown was even less missable. Apparently she'd been expecting a different suit as well.

Adrien shifted uncomfortably as Alya made her way down first. From the bottom up, she slowly revealed a long skirted copper colored gown that shimmered as she made her way down. Her auburn hair was piled in curls atop her head and she had exchanged her glasses for a shimmery copper mask that concealed the top half of her face.

Adrien smiled as he watched Nino's jaw drop at the sight of his girlfriend. She too raised a groomed eyebrow at the sight of him. “You clean up nicely, Nino,” she said with a smile, blushing when Nino still hadn't closed his mouth.

“Duuuur, you too, Alya. I mean you are like... _bangin'!_ ” Nino coughed and cleared his throat at the glare he got from Marinette's parents. "I'm sorry.You're lovely," he corrected in a meek whisper as they came together to hold hands, and Alya winked at him.

Adrien heard a new set of footsteps come down the stairs and turned to watch Marinette descend, holding his breathe as he waited for his date to catch sight of him and his very unmatching outfit.

As Marinette's beautiful pink skirts revealed themselves though, he found he was holding his breathe for an entirely different reason. He felt his jaw slacken ever so slightly, and ignored Alya's quiet giggle.

The black swoops and swirls of the little drawing revealed themselves in gorgeous reality, curling their way down her pink skirts as if they were tumbling from the black bodice. The sleeveless black top shimmered and shown like multifaceted silk, and Marinette's bare alabaster shoulders and arms gave way to her swan-like neck and a black and pink choker she had there.

It was the first time he'd ever seen her hair down, and now it fell in beautiful delicate curls that framed her facr with a small braided crown on top

Marinette stood before him at the bottom of the stairs, her eyes still cast down at the floor. “Hi Adrien.” She wasn't wearing her mask yet, but her darkly painted eyes were absolutely striking. He was so mesmerized by her that it took him a second to realize she hadn't looked up yet.

Under different circumstances, it might have been comical when she finally did. As both sets of eyes locked onto each other, both jaws went slack.

“You're beautiful.”

“Your suit!”

They spoke in unison and Marinette blushed at his complement. He stepped over to her quickly, taking both of her hands. “I am so sorry, Marinette,” he said earnestly. Her eyes searched his for an answer and he really wished he had a good one. “My father has a mind of his own. He said he loved your design but..but….” He looked down at himself and frowned. Nothing he said would really matter. “I'm sorry,” he repeated lamely.

“It's okay,” she insisted gently, but her disappointment was obvious and made a hard knot settle in his stomach. “You look really nice tonight. Of course, Gabriel knows best, he's amazing.”

“Your design was amazing, Marinette. This was supposed to have gone differently and it's my fault.”

“Really, it's okay Adrien.” She forced a little smile on her coral lips and shrugged. “We'll have fun tonight no matter what we're wearing!”

He smiled at her gratefully. “You're going to steal the show tonight, but yeah, we'll have fun no matter what.”

“Okay kiddies, you'll be late for that show if you don't chop chop,” Mrs. Cheng said with a few swift claps.

Marinette's parents ushered everyone out in a flurry of _have funs_ and _thank yous_.

Adrien hoped that the short car ride to the hotel would be the first and last time he'd feel awkward that night. With the girls in the middle, Nino and Alya had crammed themselves into their side of the car, whispering and kissing for the few precious moments they had without a chaperone.

Adrien himself felt like a mannequin, and Marinette sat just as stiffly beside him, her black clad gloved hands fiddling with the intricate mask she held.

“You alright, Marinette?” he asked curiously, placing his hand over hers to steady her.

“Oh, um, well...to tell you the truth, I'm kind of nervous.” She laughed uncomfortably but didn't move her hands out from under his.

“Why's that?”

“I...uh…can't dance,” she said shortly.

Adrien chuckled and patted her hands. “That's okay, Marinette. I'm sure there are loads of people who can't dance tonight. You'll see.”

“No. Like seriously. I really. Really. _Really_. Can't dance.” Her dead pan was absolutely serious and he frowned as he thought of what he could say.

He squeezed her hands again and smiled encouragingly. “Follow my lead, okay?”

“You know how to dance?” Her big blue eyes looked up at him hopefully and he shrugged. “Sure, my father made me take classes--.”

Marinette interrupted him with a giggle and grinned at him. “I don't think anyone will be ballroom dancing at this gala, Adrien.”

“No?”

“No. We also won't break out into choreographed dance moves,” she teased lightly, elbowing him in the ribs gently.

“Oh, damn,” he said with a smirk. “And here I just thought I missed that day at school.”

The four of them stepped out of the car, each couple paired arm in arm as they joined the rest of the class filing in through the hotel doors.

Adried slipped on the gunmetal silver mask his father had picked as his coordinate. He was grateful it wasn't black, at least. That would've been way too close to home. He smiled as Marinette slipped on her own, an asymmetrical black lace piece that matched the swirls and curls of her bodice and skirt. She was so talented she had thought of everything. Her blue eyes shown like bright sapphires against the dark lace and he couldn't help but think of another set of masked eyes....

As they walked in, it was clear Mayor Bourgeois had spared no expense for his daughter's class masquerade. It was Adrien's first dance and it was exactly how he'd imagined it would look. The main foyer glittered and sparkled with decorations as they made their way to the ballroom.

A massive speaker system was setup on the far side of the room, the DJ already cranking out a heavy and steady beat that rattled Adrien's teeth.

“ _Adrikins!!!_ ” Adrien sighed and unconsciously squeezed closer to Marinette as Chloe sped over to them. Had she been standing and waiting for him to come through the door? Why would that _not_ surprise him....She glittered in a sparkling gold dress that simply screamed _little rich girl_.

“Looks like your fans await,” Marinette whispered, and he groaned as he felt her release his arm.

* * *

Marinette watched as her date was immediately whisked away from her. That had taken all of, what? Thirty seconds?

She sighed as Adrien glanced back at her helplessly.

“How bout we go grab some drinks?” Alya nudged her and Marinette nodded distractedly as she followed them to the far table. Green, blue and red bowls of punch sat on the table, and Marinette grabbed a cup for the red one. At least if she got clumsy the red would show up less on her dress.

“Marinette!” Rose, Juleka and Nathaniel joined them from across the room. “You're dress is amazing!” Rose exclaimed. She wore a candy bubble pink dress, all frills and ribbons, that looked absolutely adorable on her.

“Yah, did you design it yourself?” Juleka asked, her own dress entirely black with long black lace gloves.

Marinette nodded and self consciously smoothed out the front of it. It was the only thing she had worked on between school, Akumas and homework for the past two weeks. She'd holed herself up, ignoring everyone and everything, and it had payed off. She absolutely loved how it had turned out.

“You _are_ an artist, Marinette.” Nathaniel said admiringly and Marinette smiled sweetly at him.

Their little cluster of friends grew a little bigger as Alex and Max joined them soon after. Relaxed and joking around, they all seemed content to hang out by the punch and appetizers for a while, watching their classmates trickle in and the dance floor gradually fill up.

“Do you have a date tonight, Marinette?” Nathaniel asked shyly as he sidled up to her.

Alya started to answer on her behalf.“Actually, she asked--.”

“Nope! Totally stagg tonight!” Marinette declared, grinning at Nathaniel and ignoring Alya's curious glance. She wrinkled her nose as she caught site of Chloe and Adrien. Coming stagg was preferable to admitting that her date had been Chloe-snatched within a minute of their arrival.

The music abruptly changed from fast and upbeat to the slow tones of a piano melody. Marinette watched as Sabrina stepped away from the DJ and Chloe did a mini victory dance as she snatched Adrien for their slow dance.

Adrien rolled his eyes and glanced longingly at his group of friends. Marinette silently seethed but there was no transforming into Ladybug this time. She felt bad for him more than anything now. He clearly wanted to be somewhere else, but being his oldest friend, he seemed to think he had some kind of obligation to Chloe.

“Marinette, would you like to dance?” Nathaniel hadn't been timid around her for quite some time, but he looked shy now and Marinette found it rather sweet.

“That sound great, Nathaniel. But...erm... I'll probably step on your toes. Like _alot_.”

He smiled and offered his arm to her. “They can handle it.”

Apparently they couldn't. Marinette wasn't even capable of swaying side to side without stepping on Nathaniel's poor toes every few seconds. She couldn't remember the last time she'd apologized so profusely. Within a minute, her hapless partner was ready to bolt, but he was courteous enough to see them through the rest of the song.

The next song started up and Marinette almost laughed aloud at the look of horror on Nathaniel's face when it was yet another slow song. Chloe was really milking this one tonight. Marinette smiled up at him and patted his arm.

“I'm going to sit this one out, okay?”

Nathaniel couldn't have looked more relieved and he nodded numbly, probably as numb as his toes were, as she walked away.

The brightly lit bathroom was empty when she entered, and she cast a quick glance at herself in the mirror to check her makeup. She hadn't caked it on everywhere, but she'd spent an enormous amount of time on her eyes. As she quickly pulled off her mask to make a few adjustments, the door squeaked open and her second least favorite person sauntered in.

“Oh, hi Marinette!” Lila's honeyed sweet tones echoed in the little bathroom, grating on Marinette's ears.

“Hello, Lila,” she mumbled.

There had been a new kind of hostility brewing between them lately that made Marinette grimace. Lila was dishonest and manipulative and it was made worse because she pretended to be everyone's best friend. Marinette felt entirely justified in her anti-Lila sentiment.

But Lila had sprouted a resentment for Marinette that she couldn't peg. She didn't sneer as obviously as Chloe, Chloe lacked all tact. But Marinette sensed her hostility and satisfaction whenever something didn't go right for her. Everytime she tripped on her own two feet, she just knew that girl was laughing. For the life of her, Marinette couldn't figure out what she'd done to earn her ire.

At first Marinette thought it might be jealousy, but Marinette didn't have anything that Lila didn't. If this was about Adrien, she was no closer to him than Lila seemed to be.

The other option was that Lila considered her _competition_. If that was the case, it was petty and silly and Marinette refused to play that game.

“Your dress is simply ravishing, Marinette,” she simpered sweetly as she leaned in towards a mirror of her own. "I bet Adrien is just clamoring to be next to you tonight. Oh wait!" She glanced at Marinette through their reflections and sneered happily. "He's been with Chloe since you got here! Way to take charge."

"Glad you're getting such a kick out of it, Lila, but here's a newsflash for you. I don't _own_ Adrien. He can do whatever he wants and I don't mind because I'm not so totally self absorbed."

Lila frowned as she pulled out a small lipstick and reapplied it smoothly, smacking her lips in satisfaction. "Is that right? Well then I guess you won't mind if I dance with him then."

Marinette's cheeks flared up and she quickly busied herself with her mascara. Yeah, she minded. Lila and Chloe were shameless when they threw themselves at Adrien, and she hated to see him always so uncomfortable. He was out there right now, keen on breaking free from Chloe's clutches, and it looked like he would fall right into Lila's next. Marinette wasn't sure if it was jealousy or being protective of her friend, but Adrien didn't deserve to be miserable all night.

"That is entirely up to him, Lila. But even Adrien has his limits. He won't do something he doesn't want to, and Chloe has taken up all his patience tonight."

Lila laughed and winked at Marinette. "Oh trust me, he'll _want_ to dance with me tonight."

Marinette stiffened and sensed some deeper meaning in Lila's reassurance. "What are you talking about, Lila? What are you planning?"

"Oh nothing! But I guarantee he won't want to dance with _you_."

Lila didn't offer any more information and flounced out of the bathroom, leaving Marinette to ponder what the heck she had meant. Tikki poked her head out of the little black clutch in Marinette's hand and frowned at Lila's back.

"What is _with_ her?" she growled unhappily. "She has you in her sights all the time now!"

"I know, Tikki. Ever since...." Marinette thought back quickly. "Maybe Adrien's autograph signing? Or the day after? But whatever it is, I'm starting to despise her more than Chloe."

"Be the bigger woman, Mariette!" Tikki said cheerfully as she flitted up and spun around Marinette in a zippy little orbit. "Oh wow...you are absolutely stunning tonight! I bet you're the belle of the ball!"

"Thanks, Tikki." Her kwame nuzzled her quickly against her cheek before flitting back into her bag.

"Good luck tonight," Tikki whispered quickly before Marinette clipped her bag closed.

"Thanks. I think I'll need it."

* * *

"Chloe, I think I'm going to take a break," Adrien said quickly as _another_ slow song was about to kick in. Three in a row and the whole gala was becoming downright boring. Most of the students had left the dance floor by now and were goofing off in the random seats setup on the side lines.

"What!? Ugh, fine. I know I totally don't need to but I'll go freshen up and see you soon!" She snapped at the DJ who nodded and immediately changed the beat of the music.

There was a collective sigh of relief from the entire room as the music picked up everyone's spirts. The dance took on a new life as friends started laughing and joking loudly, and the more brave students busted out into roudy dance moves to blow off steam. Chloe must have loved having this kind of power.

Adrien wove his way through the dancing clusters of people until he reached the drink table where Marinette was talking to Rose and Juleka.

"Hi guys," he called cheerfully. He was once again stunned at how beautiful Marinette was tonight, and he stepped over to her as he filled up his drink.

"Having fun, Adrien?" Juleka asked with a knowing little smile.

Adrien heaved a dramatic, world-weary sigh and drank deep before responding. "Is that what I'm supposed to call it?"

Marinette snickered beside him and he elbowed her playfully to get her to speak up.

"You know, you could always say no, right?" she offered, looking up at him through gorgeous long lashes.

"I don't think that's in my vocabulary," Adrien teased. "Go ahead, ask me to dance."

Marinette looked up at him with wide eyes. "I told you, I'm not very good. I'm pretty sure Nathiel will be limping for the rest of the night."

"I can handle it."

"That's what Nathaniel said."

Adrien grinned and took her hands. "Go ahead, ask me."

Marinette rolled her eyes and sighed. "Adrien, will you dance with me?"

"Yes." He pulled her out onto the dance floor, ignoring her protests as she stumbled close behind him. "I told you, no isn't in my vocabulary."

Marinette laughed and looked uncertainly around them. Adrien spotted Nino and Alya not too far off and they made their way over to them.

"Hey guys," Alya called happily. "Fancy meeting you here!"

It was perfect, especially since Marinette was still nervous about dancing with him. If the four of them danced together, they wouldn't need to pair off, and Marinette could relax easier. She'd earned a good time, particularly since he'd gone AWOL for the first few dances of the night.

As they all danced, he watched on as her smile grew broader and her nervousness transformed itself before his eyes. She and Alya laughed and spun eachother around playfully, every once in a while luring the boys in for a moment or two.

As he was really starting to enjoy himself, Adrien suddenly felt an arm press up against his and he looked over to see Lila standing next to him.

“Adrien! I finally found you!” She already seemed to be dancing with him before Adrien could get a word in.

“Oh. Hi, Lila.” She worked her way to the center of their circle and pointedly started dancing with him alone, her back to his friends. He couldn't imagine she was really that oblivious....

He saw Marinette pause from the corner his eye and tried to sidle away from Lila as discreetly as possible.

"You look so amazing tonight," she continued, adjusting herself to stay between him and his friends.

Maybe it was because Chloe had already snatched him away for the first two dances. Maybe it was because he really wanted to dance with his friends and not just with Lila. Or maybe it was because he really loved to see Marinette smile. Whatever it was, Adrien finally put his foot down.

He grasped Lila's shoulders and they both abruptly stopped moving. "Excuse me, Lila. I was dancing with Marinette. We can dance later, okay?"

Lila's eyes darkend for a split second and he knew he had upset her. He figured he would, but this was getting ridiculous. He hadn't even danced with his date yet!

"Yeah, of course!" she said coldy, her eyes glinting with something that he couldn't quite place.

"Thanks." He tried to soften his words with a warm smile, but Lila had already turned away from them.

Marinette still stood frozen on the spot, Alya standing beside her. "You didn't have to do that, Adrien."

"Sure I did," he said with a grin, taking Marinette's hands and spinning her around quickly. "I'm dancing with you right now."

It only took another few minutes for all of them to start enjoying themselves again, Lila quickly forgotten. It was a good half hour before the four of them finally stood exhausted and needed a quick break.

"I'm going to get a drink!" Adrien called over to Marinette. "Can I get you something?"

"I'll join you!" she yelled back over the particularly loud song that had started up. He held his arm out to her and she slid her hand into it easily.

"You know, Marinette, I think you might be crazy." Marinette looked up at him blankly but stayed silent. "You're not a terrible dancer at all."

She smiled and helped them weave through the crowd. "I can dance with myself okay, I guess."

They reached the punch table and as Adrien started to fill up two plastic cups, he heard Marinette cry out behind him.

"Oh! I am such a clutz!" Adrien turned to see Lila carrying two very empty plastic cups in her hands, and his gaze quickly moved to a startled Marinette, staring down at herself in speechless surprise.

It must have been blue punch. Or green punch. Or both. Whatever it was, the front of Marinette's beautiful pink skirts were entirely splattered with the stuff.

"Marinette! Hey, you okay?" He quickly grabbed some nearby napkins and attempted to help her soak up some of the liquid. Marinette was wiping away at it fruitlessly with her hands, never looking up from the stains. They were pretty bad, and whatever fabric it was seemed to just make the mess bigger and darker. He handed her a set of napkins to use instead of her gloved hands.

"Yeah, I'm okay," she whispered, still wiping and keeping her eyes down.

"I am so sorry, Marinette! It was a total accident!" Lila put down the cups and attempted to help. To Adrien's surprise, Marinette shot her a look of pure venom that he'd never seen on her before.

"Accident, my ass," she mumbled so only Adrien could hear. His gaze bounced between the two of them briefly, the girls suddenly locked in an inexplicable staredown.

"Marinette, I'll be right back." Adrien spotted Alya and made to move towards her. Marinette looked back down and continued to pointlessly wipe her gown. "Let me get Alya to help you to the girls room."

Chloe's laughter suddenly erupted from nearby and Adrien winced as he watched Sabrina and Chloe enjoying the sight of Marinette's predicament. Adrian's face grew red hot in anger, and he had half a mind to march right over there--.

"No," she said quietly. "It's okay. I think...I think I should just go home. Maybe my mom can help get this out." He knew she was just saying that. From the looks of it, there was no getting those stains out now.

"You don't have to go, Marinette. We'll fix it." He bent down towards her, and tried to look her in the eyes.

"I'm a mess, Adrien." She finally looked up at him, and he saw more clearly how much she was struggling to hold back her tears. “I worked so hard on this stupid thing.…”

"You look beautiful," he insisted, taking both of her hands. "Please, don't leave."

He couldn't explain why, but he felt the sudden need to take off their masks. They came in handy when he wanted to hide his identity or his emotions, but he didn't want to hide now. He didn't want her to hide either.

He reached out and gently lifted off her mask, her skin soft under his fingertips. He tore his own off quickly and threw it to the ground. "Dance with me."

"Adrien, I can't," she replied more forcefully. "Look at me!"

Adrien complied but he wasn't really looking at the stains. If someone would've asked him, right then and there, what the hell he was thinking, he would've said he wasn't. Or maybe he was actually having one of those rare moments of perfect clarity.

Without another word, he took the glasses he had just filled up for them, and doused himself with the blue and green punch. Marinette gasped, along with Chloe and Lila behind her, and her hands flew to cover her mouth in shock. He flinched as the cold mystery beverage seeped through his dress shirt and tie, soaking him all the way through to the skin. He looked down at himself, managing to smirk and grimace at the same time.

"Are you crazy?!" Marinette cried, snatching napkins off the table to help him soak some of it up. "What did you do that for?"

He took her hands to pause her hasty cleaning procedure, and gave a passing glance to the utter shock frozen on Lila's and Chloe's faces. "Now we either leave together, or we stay here together. I'd personally like to stay, but it's your call."

Marinette's mouth hung open for a moment as she stared at him and he wasn't entirely surprised. It was a crazy way to rationalize her staying, but he wouldn't have done it any other way.

At that moment, the loud and fast music finally shifted, allowing the exhausted ballroom of teenagers a moment's reprieve as a new slow dance started. Marinette's decision wasn't immediately forthcoming, so he took it as his sign to be more brazen then he normally would be.

"Dance with me. Please?" he asked one more time.

"I can't dance," she whispered, still staring at him with big saucer eyes. Their dampness had been replaced by shock but he still wasn't sure if he'd made the right decision.

She didn't protest as he guided her to the center of the dance floor, showing off his punch splattered shirt as dancing couples eyed them curiously.

He abruptly turned to face her and placed one hand on her waist and took her right hand in his.

"What are you doing?" she whispered as he pulled her towards him.

"Dancing."

She watched blankly as he guided her free hand up to his shoulder and he placed his hand against her waist again.

"This is--this is _ballroom_ dancing," she whispered fiercely, but he saw a twinkle of a smile in her eyes as she stared at him.

"I told you, I took classes."

"This is going to be _bad_ , Adrien. Sooo _bad_ ," she said warily. She looked terrified so Adrien took a deep breathe and smiled.

"I told you, follow my lead."

At first, Marinette was absolutely right. Her feet found his toes every few seconds. But Adrien wasn't about to give up. He quickly learned where she'd put her feet next, and corrected his own steps to match hers.

In moments, they were gliding around the dance floor, and if Adrien wasn't mistaken, the music shifted again from the standard pop slow song to something a bit more...waltzy.

His eyes never left her's, and he was stunned by their bright blue hue in the dim lighting of the ballroom. For the second time that night, he recalled another pair of blue eyes.

Ladybug had hurt him badly. He had probably deserved it, putting himself out there like that. It had taken him a few months to climb out of his rut, and it was made especially hard when he'd seen her during Akuma attacks. It had just been cruel reminders of what he couldn't have.

But in the darkness, he'd found a light. A friend who made him laugh and let him be himself. Marinette was always there for him. Maybe it was supposed to happen this way. Maybe he needed to lose Ladybug to see he had something better. What had she said? _She_ wasn't his one. So maybe he had a different one....

As Marinette looked up at him, he was simply dazzled. His mind went numb as he held her close, but he didn't need to think. His heart was doing all the talking for him now. How had he never seen her before now?

As all of these revelations struck him, he still somehow managed to move his feet to the music, to not slip and fall, or crash into anyone else. It was only them. Only her.

Is this how it was meant to be? Had the girl of his dreams been in front of him all this time? But did she like him back? She was letting him swish her around the ballroom every which way, but did it mean anything? Was it worth risking their friendship to find out?

The music ended far too soon, and Adrien and Marinette stood slightly winded in the center of the dance floor. Then the oddest sound erupted around them, and they both looked up in shock as their classmates all started to clap enthusiastically from the perimeter they had created. Marinette blushed and Adrien saw Nino give him a two thumbs up.

He turned to her as she laughed freely and covered her face in embarrassment.

“I can't believe that just happened! You watch way too many movies, Adrien,” she teased between her fingers.

He took her hands and lowered them from her face, once again spotting the mess of color that was splattered on them both. And then it hit him.

"Hey," he said quietly, lifting her chin up with his finger and gesturing towards their clothes. "Now we match."

The sparkle that came to her eyes was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen.

**Author's Note:**

> So I originally had the final dance planned from Marinette's perspective but I hope this still worked out okay. ^_^ 
> 
> Thanks for reading! I really enjoyed writing that one!


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